Hospitals are hotspots for antimicrobial-resistant genes (ARG) and play a significant role in their emergence and spread. Large numbers of these ARGs will be ejected from hospitals via wastewater systems. Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has been consolidated as a tool to provide real-time information and a promising approach to understanding the prevalence of bacteria and ARGs at a community level. To determine the bacterial diversity and identify antibiotic-resistant genes profiles in hospital wastewater pathogens obtained from COVID-19 isolation hospitals compared to non-COVID-19 facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wastewater samples were obtained from four hospitals, three assigned to COVID-19 patients and one to non-COVID patients. A microbial DNA qPCR Array was used to determine the bacterial diversity and antibiotic-resistant genes. The assay recorded 27 different bacterial species exhibited in the samples, belonging to phyla: Firmicutes (44.4%), Proteobacteria (33.3%), Actinobacteria (11%), Bacteroidetes (7.4%), and Verrucomicrobiota (3.7%) were present among different locations. In addition, 61 ARGs were detected in all the sites. The highest number of ARGs was observed in the Hazem Mebaireek General Hospital (HMGH) of COVID-19 patient site (88.5%), while the lowest number was found in the HMGH non-patient site (24.1%). The emergence of contaminants in sewage water, such as ARGs and high pathogen levels, poses a potential risk to public health and the aquatic ecosystem.

The Arabian Peninsula’s endemic ungulate, Oryx leucoryx, was on the verge of extinction at the end of the 1970s. Despite the different reintroduction programs, the International Union for Conservation of Nature is still classifying it as Vulnerable. Among other factors, their vulnerability lies in their susceptibility to specific etiological agents that affect livestock, necessitating health monitoring and strict preventive/biosecurity measures. Within this frame, the current work investigated the determination of the etiological agent potentially involved with cutaneous lesions observed in eight males of Arabian oryx within one of the several national governance conservation programs. Microscopic examination from one animal specimen suggested theileriosis association, which was confirmed by molecular tools using 18S gene sequencing and the report of a novel Theileria sp. not clustering with previously reported antelope sequences. This finding prompts further explorations into the disease dynamics within the Arabian oryx population, especially with the scarcity of data in Qatar about tick-borne pathogens and their transmission.